Those miserable urinary tract infections – part two

Here we go, again and again and again. If you know where the toilets are located in every store you frequent, then welcome to the club. Today, “class,” we are going to talk about the first four measures you can take to make your urinary life easier and healthier. Next blog, we will talk about six more measures which will also help. Sometimes I wonder if I ever talk about anything that is not embarrassing. I talk about my bottom. I talk about bowels. Now I’m talking about urinating. My general attitude is, “Well, after all, we all do it.” Sometimes, I think it’s a wonder that my family actually feels free to take me out in polite society. The good news is I’m a lot of fun.

These subjects always remind me of an occurrence in nursing school when a very shy instructor walked in front of the class and said, “S–t, S–t, P–s, P–s!” Then she said, “Okay, I did it. The other instructors bet me I wouldn’t come out and say that so I had to, now on with our class.” Isn’t it interesting what sticks in your brain 30 years later?

The first four measures which help with chronic urinary problems:

1. Any woman who has given birth was given the instruction to always wipe front to back, not back to front. The obvious reason is to prevent any fecal material from being pulled up “front” and causing infection. They really drummed it into us in nursing school, so much so, one of my fellow students, a male nurse once said, “Geez, I’ve got it down. I can’t even wash my car without doing it front to back.” This is a must. If you have a bad back or shoulder and find it difficult, then do it the way my 2-year-old granddaughter does it as she wads up her toilet paper and dabs front while saying “front,” then dabs the back while saying “back.” She always does it in that order. Her 4-year-old brother says something quite different. When he finishes he says, “shake, shake.” Aww, out of the mouths of babes, science lessons for life.

2. Always urinate when you feel the need. Don’t put off going. Stale urine in the bladder can lead to back-flush up into the kidneys and can breed those problem causing microorganisms. During the day try to urinate at least every three hours. It is said the famous director Alfred Hitchcock once said the length of a movie should be in direct relation to the endurance of the human bladder. Go before the movie starts and definitely do not get a giant king-sized Coke while heading into the theater.

3. Drink. Drink. Drink. Plenty of fluids are important to promote renal blood flow and to flush out the bacteria clinging to the walls of the bladder. The old advice to drink 8 ounces of water each day is much harder than it sounds. It also depends on whether or not you have any medical condition that does not react well to excessive fluids, such as kidney or heart failure. I have found there are two kinds of folk among us. There are water drinkers and non-water drinkers. I am not a person who drinks water on a regular basis. My husband is. What you drink matters. For years unsweetened cranberry juice has been recommended because of it’s similarity in acidity to human urine. Some health experts believe cranberry juice actually contains a substance which makes it more difficult for the bacteria to stick to the walls of the bladder. If you don’t like cranberry juice or it doesn’t like you, there are cranberry concentrate capsules available at health food stores. Each capsule is equal to one or more glasses of cranberry juice. Be sure to take those capsules with a full glass of water. If you have a tendency to form kidney stones, apparently cranberry juice is discouraged because it can lead to formation of stones in those with a tendency to form them. Cherry concentrate or cherry juice is recommended for stones as well as the herb uva ursi. It can be found in capsules or in tincture form. (More about kidney stones next blog.)

It’s vitally important to avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol. Some individuals are more sensitive to caffeine than others. My husband could drink several cups of hospital coffee all night during nightshift then sleep fine in the morning. My daughter-in-law will stay awake for hours and hours after one cup of coffee or a coke. Even individuals who do not react to the stimulant effects of coffee can still have irritation to the bladder from caffeine as well as alcohol. Too much chocolate can cause the same type of stimulation and irritation. These substances, as well as white and black pepper, and for some individuals, cinnamon, can irritate the bladder and cause spasms and frequent urination. Read those labels for soft drinks. It doesn’t have to be brown to have caffeine. Tea also has caffeine, especially black tea and green tea. Look for the decaffeinated teas and herbal teas. As far as alcohol, it is up to the individual to gauge. One glass of wine or one beer might not do it to you – more may.

4. Take your vitamins. All of the antioxidant vitamins are helpful, but the most important one at this point is Vitamin C because it will help you heal as well as keep the urine acidic. 500 milligrams three times a day is the usual recommendation, although twice that amount won’t hurt you. Many experts in natural medicine recommend vitamin C in the form of calcium ascorbate because ascorbic acid can upset the stomach and sodium ascorbate contains too much sodium. See what works for you and your gut. Natural food sources of vitamin C are also recommended, such as citric drinks. I know many rehab centers pass out vitamin C to para and quadriplegic patients with catheters who have to constantly watch out for infections.

Next blog, we talk about the last six helpful hints for a happy bladder life. See you then.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sue Falkner-Wood

Sue Falkner-Wood is a retired registered nurse living in Astoria, Ore., with her husband, who is also an R.N. Sue left nursing in 1990 due to chronic pain and other symptoms related to what was eventually...read more

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